From September 20 14 19 to 18 10/4, the British Ministry of Education sent 72 outstanding primary school math teachers to Shanghai Normal University and 30 primary schools in Shanghai for study and inspection through the "high-level dialogue mechanism of Sino-British humanities exchange". In the last two days, the British team leader organized all British teachers to discuss and summarize, and experts from Shanghai Normal University attended the British teachers' summary meeting as observers. At the summary meeting, the British teacher talked about personal learning feelings and formed * * * knowledge. Finally, the British teacher summed up the six advantages and "secrets" of the most recognized mathematics education in Shanghai.
First, "believe" and "expect". More than 70 teachers in Britain have the highest recognition, and the most frequently mentioned words are "believe" and "expect". In the eyes of British teachers, the primary reason why Shanghai students do well in mathematics is that Shanghai teachers generally believe that every child can learn the basic mathematics taught by the school well, and Shanghai teachers and parents have high expectations for every child. Teachers in our country generally believe that although not every child can become a mathematician, mathematics is the most basic and important basic knowledge that primary and secondary school students should learn. Every child should not only learn basic mathematics well, but also have the ability to learn basic mathematics well. Under the domination of this educational concept, school teachers always feel responsible and always try their best to teach all students well; We also encourage, guide, help and educate children in various ways, and strive not to let any student fall behind. Of course, such achievements also come from the balanced development of education in Shanghai. In this regard, British teachers generally believe that the mathematics level of students in all classes in Shanghai is very consistent, and the gap is very small. British teachers also reflect, perhaps because Britain has put too much emphasis on personality development, as a result, personality development has become a reason or excuse to give up students and allow them not to study mathematics.
Second, "Shanghai teachers are very professional". British teachers strongly feel that Shanghai math teachers are very professional. They found that, first of all, primary school teachers in Shanghai, like British teachers, have basically received undergraduate education, and some have bachelor's degrees and master's degrees; Secondly, most mathematics teachers in Shanghai have received special subject education, that is, teachers who teach mathematics have studied mathematics, mathematics teaching methods or primary school mathematics education in universities, so they know what to teach and how to teach; Secondly, most primary school math teachers in Shanghai specialize in teaching mathematics, mainly teaching mathematics, and may be class teachers or undertake other tasks at school; Finally, Shanghai teachers actually spend less time in class each week than British teachers, and they don't have to "guarantee classes" and "teach all subjects" like British teachers. Therefore, Shanghai teachers can concentrate on mathematics education, and their professional quality and ability can be easily improved. Many English teachers admit that their mathematics knowledge and teaching level are not as good as those of Shanghai teachers.
Third, attach importance to "on-the-job learning" and emphasize "collective sharing". British teachers are very envious of Shanghai teachers' opportunities for further study, career development, great teaching achievements and many opportunities for development and promotion. At the same time, they feel that there are many "collective sharing" opportunities for teachers in Shanghai, which are very valuable. Many British teachers are particularly interested in the activities of the teaching, research and preparation groups in Shanghai schools. In the teaching and research group, Shanghai teachers collectively prepare lessons, discuss problems, share experiences, study courses and improve teaching methods. During the discussion, they talked directly and frankly, and the teachers also shared their experiences so that they could improve together. British teachers find that the size of British schools is too small, and every teacher has a "guaranteed class". It is difficult for teachers in the same class to combine and lack learning opportunities. Many British teachers made it clear that after returning to China, they must form a teaching and research group with teachers of the same major in nearby schools to improve their teaching ability.
Fourthly, China's traditional mathematics teaching methods and beliefs are valuable. During the discussion and summary, many English teachers expressed their admiration for China's traditional belief in mathematics teaching and his flexible use of "old methods". For example, they learned that China people think that "learning mathematics and physics is not afraid to travel around the world". Primary school students in China can recite the multiplication table, and the calculation is particularly fast. Teacher China teaches students to use abacus and mental arithmetic, and "vertical" is often used in arithmetic. Students in China also play "blackjack" with playing cards, and all kinds of methods are calculated together. Many English teachers admit that they can't use these methods. British teachers really want to ask Mr. China to help them teach together, so that British children can "learn" by "playing".
Fifth, "small steps forward" and "changeable". British teachers have found that Shanghai math teachers emphasize key points and teach in small steps, constantly building a ladder for students to learn and master math knowledge and skills, helping students to divide a big problem into several small problems, and learn step by step from easy to difficult. In addition, in order to help students really master mathematics knowledge, teachers in our country also pay great attention to using different variants, so that students can really master the connotation of knowledge from all aspects and forms of variation. Questioning in class can reflect these "good intentions" of Shanghai teachers. They are good at asking questions to students of different levels with different difficult questions, so that every child can have a sense of accomplishment and really grasp the main points of knowledge. In the process of questioning, it fully embodies the teaching concept and characteristics of using variants and taking small steps.
Sixth, "political advantage." A British teacher pointed out in his summary that his team also discovered an important secret. This is China's "political advantage". She said that on the first day of studying in Shanghai, the professor mentioned the outline of education planning in his lecture. After arriving at the school, they also found that almost every school has a 3-year, 5-year or even 10-year development plan, which makes teachers very clear about what to do now and what direction to develop in the future. The goals and steps are very clear, and teachers in Shanghai have a bottom in their hearts. In Britain, the name of the British Ministry of Education has been changed repeatedly, and the two-party elections and the government have changed every few years, and each session has new tricks. The minister of education has changed more frequently. "The minister we don't like has just stepped down, and the vice minister we like has recently become the minister of the environment. School teachers are really at a loss. " "We often have no time to prepare, and' change' has changed." "This is China's biggest advantage. Its political system is stable and its policy direction is consistent, which is commendable. "
Although these 70-odd British teachers are the first batch of educators sent to China by the British government for more than 100 years, their study time is only half a month. However, they are all excellent teachers and educational experts. Through limited observation and study, they have truly and profoundly seen many characteristics and advantages of Shanghai mathematics teaching and even the development of basic education in China. Programme for international student assessment's world first score in two rounds of tests and China's "secret" discovered by British teachers clearly tell us that we don't need to sell ourselves short. We can confidently say that we have a unique experience in China! We should tell the story of China well, and we can let the world share the experience of China! Of course, we have short feet and long inches. We still have a long way to go to build a world-class education with China characteristics. We need to innovate, we need to learn from other countries, and we need to be proud and persistent.